The Edge of Madness
by ElegyofInsanity
Summary: What if everything Sora believed wasn't real? What if everything was just the imagination of a madman? Beware, this story contains Yaoi.
1. Chapter 1

In the void of nothingness, Sora and his best friend Riku fought side-by-side against the leader of Organization XIII, Xemnas. They fought ferociously, hacking away at the silver-haired nobody. He seemed to be beaten…until he brought his hands together, darkening the void and creating a dome of lasers that surrounded them. They turned to each other and nodded, working in perfect unison, reflecting each of the lasers faster than seemed humanly possible. They moved faster and faster as the lasers did the same. Just when they thought the lasers were exhausted, Sora was struck by Xemnas's blade, rendering him unconscious. "Sora!"

* * *

"Wake up...c'mon, Sora, wake up. Everything's okay…"

Sora groaned, opening his eyes slowly. He used the nearby bed to help pull himself up off the floor. "W-Wha..."

"There you go-you're out of it now. You fell out of the bed."

Sora's eyes widened as he looked around the room he was in. The very small room was cell-like, but more comfortable. In one corner was the bed, the pillows and blankets scattered about. Next to the bed was a small desk, a book entitled "The Darkness." lying on it. In the other corner was a table, lying on it was an open trunk full of personal belongings. In another corner was a dresser, a tv hooked into the wall above it. None of these things bothered Sora...it was the things that were on the paint-chipped walls that bothered him.

Scattered across the walls were tick-marks, drawings, quotes...things that he recognized from his journeys. He saw drawings of Heartless and Keyblades, dragons and genies. Itched across the walls in ink...were his memories. 'Darkness is the heart's true essence.', 'Riku?', 'I'm so sorry, Kairi...', and 'What is Kingdom Hearts?' were all written on the walls.

Sora's eyes widened in shock, "What...this..."

"You had a rough night, Sora. You been skipping out on your meds again, bud?"

Sora ignored the question and stumbled over to the sink next to the trunk, looking into the mirror. He gasped as he saw what was staring back. His head was completely shaved and his normal clothes had been replaced by a pair of red striped pajamas.

"Uh-uh...we've been through this, Sora. No answer means 'No, I didn't take my medicine.' You're gonna get me in trouble with doctor Xavier again."

Sora turned towards the voice and his eyes widened yet again. There, standing in the doorway, was Leon. His formerly long hair had been trimmed down to ear-length and his usual attire had been replaced by a green nurse's uniform. "...L-Leon...? What is t-this? W-W-Where...where am I?"

Leon sighed, "Oh, boy...you really have been skipping your meds." He placed his hands on his hips. "Jeez...doctor Xavier's gonna have my head."

Sora frowned, "This...this is some kind of trick...isn't it? Is this the organization's doing?"

Leon shook his head, "C'mon, Sora don't start talking about that stuff again, okay? The organization isn't real. It's just in your mind."

Sora stared at Leon, "...What?"

Leon sighed, "I'm sorry, bud. I know you get confused by all this. These bad dreams are a part of being sick. You've gotta help us get you well again, so you've gotta take your medicine. I tell you what...you go by the dispensary before breakfast and I'll tell the Doc you had a good night."  
Leon moved aside, motioning for Sora to head out.

Sora hesitated for a moment before moving past Leon into the hallway. The right side of the hallway had doors lining the wall, presumably leading to bedrooms. Along the wall on the left side was a window, showing a courtyard.

Sora followed the signs towards the dispensary, "What...is happening to me?" He asked himself.

He made his way through the halls, finally making it to the common room. He looked around, noticing a few familiar faces around the room. In the corner, looking up at the cartoons flashing across the tv, were Sora's twin brothers Roxas and Ventus. Sitting in a wheelchair by himself, was Cloud. He was wearing an outfit similar to Sora's and was mumbling to himself. Over by the windows, siting across from each other, were Axel and Saix.

Sora shook his head, "No...this isn't...r-real..." He made his way over to the dispensary, waving at a nurse through the window.

The nurse walked up to the window, "Oh, it's Sora, right? Hold on, I've got your prescription right here..." The nurse reached into a drawer and pulled out a bottle of pills, "Here we go. Now stick your hand through the slot."

Sora reluctantly complied. The nurse took two little blue pills out of the bottle and placed them in Sora's hand, "There you go. Now make sure you take those with food, okay?"

Sora nodded slowly, "Okay..."

Another nurse walked over to Sora and tapped him on the shoulder, "Sora? Doctor Sid wants to see you. Follow me."

Sora nodded and followed the nurse through the facility, trying not to think of any of this as reality. The nurse finally stopped at a door and opened it, leading to an office.

"Ah, Sora...come in, come in. Take a seat."

Sora's eyes widened once again, seeing that the man in the doctor's coat...was Yen Sid. "M-Master Yen S-S-Sid?!"

Doctor Sid sighed, leaning against his desk. "Sora...I've heard from your nurse that you're getting worried about your medication again. Do you know why you take the medication?"

Sora shook his head, "I'm...I'm not crazy... This is just an illusion."

Doctor Sid shook his head, "If you know it's an illusion...why can't you make it go away? But we've had this discussion before. You can't make it go away because it's not an illusion."

Sora placed his head in his hands, "Master...d-don't you see what's happening here? The organization...they're inside our heads."

Doctor Sid nodded, "Right...the organization. You mean the secret society that is out to get you? Sora, does that seem reasonable to you? Look, I'm not going to skirt around the issue any longer. Doctor Xavier and I am concerned that you're making up new rules as you go along. World jumping and monster slaying is fine for television and comic books, but not for real life. You're not the wielder of some magical blade, Sora. You're a patient in this institution and we're trying to get you well." Doctor Sid explained.

Sora shook his head, "No...there's something wrong with this place! You are not keeping me here!" Sora exclaimed.

The nurse took a step forward, his arms extended. "Okay, Sora. Let's just stay calm...doctor Sid is trying to help you."

Sora looked between the nurse and the doctor, "I'm not crazy."

Doctor Sid nodded, "Of course not, Sora. Now I know you're upset, but you must calm down." He said in a pleading voice.

"Okay...then let me out of here."

Doctor Sid nodded, "Of course, nobody's stopping you." He turned to the nurse, "Take him to see nurse Riku."

Sora stopped, "...Riku...?"

The nurse nodded, "Sure, doc. C'mon, Sora."

"Just try to stay calm, Sora." Doctor Sid said in a calming voice.

Sora nodded, "Yeah...sure...whatever you say, 'doc.'"

The nurse led him through the hall until he came to an open door. Inside, the room was split in half. One half looked like an examination room for patients, the other half was used as an office. Standing over by the window, looking out at the courtyard, was a tall young man with long silver hair.

"...R-Riku...?" Sora asked, a slight tremble in his voice.

The man turned around, revealing the face of Sora's best friend. "Sora! I heard you're back on your med cycle...that's a good sign." He moved behind his desk and took a seat, motioning for Sora to do the same. "Doctor Xavier's been asking me about your progress. He's very concerned about you. We all are." Riku said with a smile.

Sora leaned forward in his chair, "Riku...I don't know what this place is, but I'm gonna get us out of here." He reached for Riku's hand.

Riku pushed himself out of Sora's reach, "Why would I want to get out of here, Sora? I work here. I'm here to help you."

Sora slumped back in his seat, "No...no, not you too...not you too..."

"Just stay calm, Sora. Everything will be alright." Riku said comfortingly. "Now...last time we talked, you were telling me about the delusions you've been having." He grabbed a clipboard from his desk, "You said you were...fighting the leader of the evil organization...and that...he was trying to open Kingdom Hearts..."

Sora leaned forward in his chair and pointed at Riku, "That wasn't a delusion! That just happened...I know it did."

Riku sighed, "I know it feels real, Sora, but it's-"

Sora shook his head, "Riku...you gotta listen to me. I think this is a trick...but I'm gonna get us out of here."

Riku leaned forward on his desk, "I can see why it would seem like a trick to you sometimes, but it's just a hospital. I want you to trust me, everyone here is trying to help you."

Sora shook his head, "I don't know why this is happening, Riku. You were there...I saw you."

Riku nodded, "We talked about this, remember? When you don't take your medicine, you have a hard time separating fiction from reality. You get a lot of bad dreams when your serotonin's out of whack. It makes you think you're remembering things that never happened."

"But...my family...my friends...the keyblade..."

Riku shook his head, "Sora, none of that is real." He leaned back in his chair, "I'll work out a schedule with doctor Xavier. Play your cards right and we can see a lot of each other, okay?"

Sora stared, "A...schedule? No, Riku... You don't understand, you're in real danger. We both are!" Sora stood. "We're getting out of here, now!"

He reached forward to grab Riku, but was stopped by the other nurse. "Whoa, big guy. Code white!"

Sora struggled in the man's grip, "Argh, let go of me!"

The nurse dragged him towards the door, "Easy, Sora! Calm down!"

Riku sighed, "Oh God, you were doing so good..."

The nurse dragged him out of the office, holding him steady as Leon approached. "Easy, easy... Calm down, Sora, we're not going to hurt you." He held a syringe up, readying to inject Sora. "Hold him still." He ordered the other nurse.

Sora struggled, but couldn't break the grasp of the larger man. "Let me g-go!"

Leon brought the syringe down into Sora's arm and injected the serum, "There ya go, bud. Now just relax."

Sora shook his head as the tranquilizer took effect, "Wha...what did you..." He collapsed in the nurse's arms.

The last thing he heard before he lost consciousness was Leon ordering the nurse to take him back to his room.


	2. Chapter 2

Sora groaned and brought a hand to his head as consciousness started to reassert itself. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around, noticing he was back in his room. "What…?" Memories of seeing Riku in his office and Leon injecting him appeared in his mind. "…..Riku…."

"Knock, knock." Leon said from the doorway. "Hey, I got good news. You got a visitor!"

Sora stared at him for a moment, "A….visitor?"

Leon nodded with a smile, "She's waiting for you in the common room. Your brothers are already there with her. Go on."

Sora got out of bed and moved past Leon, heading towards the common room.

_Who could be visiting me? Leon said it was a she… Could it be…..Kairi? And he said my brothers were already there. What brothers? I don't have any brothers…_ Sora thought as he made his way through the halls.

He made it into the common room and looked around, noticing a tall woman with short brown hair sitting at a table with Roxas and Ventus. Sora stared at the woman, trying to place where he knew her. His eyes widened as realization dawned, "….M-Mom…?"

The woman turned and saw him, a smile appearing on her face as she motioned for him to come over and join them at the table. Sora ran over to the table and embraced his mother, "Mom…I-I-I've missed you…..s-so much…. I haven't s-seen you in so long…" Sora said, tears welling in his eyes.

Sora's mother was surprised by the sudden embrace, but gladly reciprocated. "Sora, it's okay…I'm here now." She pulled back and kissed his forehead. "But I was here just last week… Don't tell me you forgot?"

Sora stared into her eyes, "…Is…this real…? Mom...is that really you?"

His mother frowned, "Sora…doctor Xavier told me that you haven't been taking your medication. How are you going to get better if you don't take your medicine? Don't you want to get better and come home?"

Sora shook his head, "I…I just…" Tears began to roll down his cheeks, "This…I…"

His mother pulled him into another hug, "Shh….it's okay…" She wiped away his tears and smiled, "It'll be okay… Just promise me you'll take your medicine…okay?"

Sora hesitated for a moment before nodding, "O-Okay…I promise…"

His mother smiled widely, "Good." She kissed his cheek, "You know...Vanitas misses you... He misses all three of you."

"Vanitas...?" He shook his head, "Mom...? I..I haven't seen her around, so I have to assume she's out there... Where...where is Kairi?"

His mother's smile instantly disappeared, replaced by a look of sadness. "Sora...Kairi is... She died...two years ago."

Sora stared at her for a moment, trying to process what his mother had just told him. Tears formed in his eyes once more and he started to shake, "...D-D-Dead...? K-Kairi's...d-dead? No..." He stood abruptly, shaking his head, "S-She...she can't be d-dead..."

His mother stood and attempted to pull him into a hug, "S-Sora..."

Sora pushed her away, "No! You're not m-my mother! You c-can't be...this c-can't be real..."

Leon came rushing over, seeing Sora push his mother. "Sora, what's the problem?"

Sora turned to Leon, "Get away from m-me! T-This...this isn't real!" He turned and ran down the hall.

"Sora! Dammit, code red!" Leon chased after him.

Sora sprinted through the halls, bumping into an inmate and stumbling a bit. "Can't be real...can't be real..." He made it to the lobby and ran for the double doors. "I'm coming, K-Kairi..."

Suddenly, an orderly tackled him to the ground. "Sora, calm down! Just...calm down!" The orderly hauled him to his feet, Leon fast approaching them.

Sora struggled in the man's grip, "Let me go! This is all a t-trick!"

Riku approached them, having spotted Sora running. "Whoa, there...easy. Sora, nobody is trying to hurt you. We're just trying to help you, remember? Now just-"

Sora shook his head, "Riku... No! This...this isn't real. I-It c-c-can't be...she...she can't be...d-dead." He couldn't hold back the tears any longer, and began to sob, pulling Riku into a hug and crying into his shoulder.

Riku was surprised by this, but soon returned the hug, rubbing Sora's back comfortingly. "Shh, it's okay. Sora...do you remember why you're here? You're sick...and we're trying to help you...okay?"

Sora nodded as he cried, Riku's presence only mildly comforting him. "...She...she's really...g-g-gone...?"

Riku sighed deeply, "Yes, Sora...she's gone. And her loss is what sent you here. You couldn't handle it. Your mind started making delusions of adventures...adventures of the three of us, alive and well. And you were the hero...trying to save us."

Sora's sobs subsided, "S-So...Donald...Goofy...M-M-Mickey...they're n-not real?"

Riku chuckled, "No...they're real. Here...I'll show you." He pulled out of the hug and led Sora to the nearby tv, turning it on and switching on the tv. "See? There they are...right on schedule."

Sora's eyes widened at the cartoon that was playing, his trying to paint a clock tower for some reason. "...What...?"

Riku nodded, "They're cartoon characters, Sora. You couldn't separate reality from fiction...you saw them and, before you knew it, there they were...apart of your adventures."

Sora stared at the screen for a moment, "...Oh my God..." He collapsed to the ground, unconscious.


	3. Chapter 3

"Sora? Hey, you okay?"

Sora brought a hand to his head and slowly opened his eyes, a groan escaping his lips. "W-What….what happened?"

Riku helped him sit up on his bed, "You passed out. Sora, when was the last time you ate anything?"

Sora blushed slightly, "It's…..been awhile."

Riku chuckled, "It's okay. Your brothers are having lunch now. Why don't you go join them?"

"R-Riku….there's….something I wanted to ask you. Everyone keeps talking about my brothers…but I don't r-remember….having any siblings. I thought I was an only child...?"

Riku's eyes widened, "You….don't remember them…? Your long-term memory is being affected, it seems. Sora, you have three brothers. Roxas, Ventus, and Vanitas. Roxas and Ventus are the twins you saw at the table with your mom."

Sora tried to process the information, "But….then why are they here? I thought I was the patient..."

Riku sighed, "Sora….your family has a history of mental illness. Your grandfather, your brothers, and then you."

Sora nodded slowly, "Oh…. So, it was only a matter of time before I cracked, huh?"

Riku shook his head, "Don't say that, Sora. You haven't cracked, you're just sick. That's why you're here. Okay?"

Sora looked up at Riku and smiled slightly, "Okay. Thanks, Riku…"

Riku returned the smile, "That's why I'm here. Now go get some food. And make sure you take your medicine!"

Sora nodded and got out of bed, heading for the common room. He walked into the common room and spotted his brothers sitting at a table eating their breakfast. Roxas stared at the wall as he picked at his food, seemingly in a world of his own. Ventus was talking to nobody in particular, stopping once in awhile to take a bite to eat.

Sora sighed and went over to the dispensary, "Excuse me...is this where I get my morning meds?"

The nurse behind the window smiled warmly and nodded, "Yes sir, it certainly is. Name?"

"Sora..."

The nurse nodded and searched for his prescription, "Ah, here it is!" She grabbed a bottle and walked back over to the window and handed him two pills from the bottle. "Here you go."

Sora nodded and took the pills in his hand, "Thank you..."

The nurse smiled, "Anytime."

Sora grabbed a plate of eggs and bacon before walking over to the table his brothers sat at. Roxas spotted him approaching and snapped out of his trance, "Sora!"

Ventus turned with a grin to see his older brother, "Hey, Sora. You feelin' better?"

Sora smiled weakly and sat at the table, "Hey, guys..." He glanced at the pills in his hand for a moment before nodding, throwing the pills into his mouth and chasing it down with some apple juice.

Roxas raised an eyebrow, "You're taking those pills now, Sora? You know they make you crazy..."

"Yeah." Ventus said. He laughed at nothing in particular and looked at the empty space beside him, "Shut up, Terra, they do too!"

Sora stared at his brother for a moment, wondering who exactly Ventus was talking to. "I think they're supposed to help us, guys..."

Roxas scoffed, "C'mon, Sora, you don't really believe that. You know that this is all in your head."

Sora stopped and turned to Roxas, "What...?"

"You're making it up. None of this is real." Roxas explained.

Sora shook his head, "No...that's not right...what I saw before was f-fake..."

Roxas and Ventus turned to each other and grinned knowingly, "Yeah, okay. Believe what you want, bro..."

Sora looked down at his plate, suddenly losing his appetite. _They're just messing with you... That's what brothers do, right? _ Sora tried to convince himself.

"Well, I'm never taking those pills." Ventus said. "Terra and Aqua hide when I take them."

Sora sighed, feeling rather tired.

Suddenly, Sora was tackled, being pinned to the ground. Sora looked up at his captor, surprised to see Cloud. "S-S-Sora, did you t-take those p-pills...?" Cloud said with a wild look in his eyes, his neck twitching every now and then.

"C-Cloud? What are you doing?! Yeah...I took them..."

Cloud's eyes widened, "WHAT?! Sora, t-t-that's the w-worst thing you c-could have done! DON'T YOU G-GET IT?!"

Sora was taken-aback by Cloud's voice, "What? What's wrong?"

Many patients began to gather around them and some orderlies began to rush over, "They're t-trying to..." He leaned down to Sora's ear and whispered in a secretive manner, "...s-steal your light."

Sora's eyes widened as the orderlies pulled him off, "Steal...my light...?"

Cloud struggled like a man possessed against the grip of the orderlies as they hauled him towards his room, "SORA! Don't l-let them s-s-steal your light! **DON'T LET THEM!**"

Doctor Sid came into view, catching up to the orderlies. "Calm down, Mr. Strife, everything will be alright..." He pulled out a syringe as they disappeared around the corner.

* * *

A/N: I must apologize for this long delay, but I've been pretty swamped lately. Anyway, I found this chapter to be rather difficult to write for some reason... What do you guys think?


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